pop

[Alisaura]

I'm reading TGBHF at the moment, and it's not twaddle to me... so far. It's not as Oh-my-God-I-can't-put-it-down as Satanic Verses, but I still like it...
On the subject of the Popmart tape, I'm not so sure about Bono's thumb-sucking and unmbrella-thrusting being mocking... mind you I'm not sure what he meant by it either.
One thing that has struck me about that video is the sort of violent thing that goes through it... Bono seems to be attacking the audience a lot of the time, in his actions and stuff... lungeing at them when he's singing, the boxer stuff at the start, the whole business with him shouting something at the crowd while holding his guitar out (any theories on what he said?) and then seemingly dropping it amongst them (or the security people)... I dunno. Just some thoughts.

 

[OKU2Fan77]

Originally posted by Alisaura:
I'm reading TGBHF at the moment, and it's not twaddle to me... so far. It's not as Oh-my-God-I-can't-put-it-down as Satanic Verses, but I still like it...
On the subject of the Popmart tape, I'm not so sure about Bono's thumb-sucking and unmbrella-thrusting being mocking... mind you I'm not sure what he meant by it either.
One thing that has struck me about that video is the sort of violent thing that goes through it... Bono seems to be attacking the audience a lot of the time, in his actions and stuff... lungeing at them when he's singing, the boxer stuff at the start, the whole business with him shouting something at the crowd while holding his guitar out (any theories on what he said?) and then seemingly dropping it amongst them (or the security people)... I dunno. Just some thoughts.

I wanted to post a reply about the Popmart Video. I don't think he is necessarily attacking the audience, mockingly or otherwise. I have been reading a book called the Unforgettable Fire by Eamon Dunphy lately and I am overwhelmed to know all of this history of U2 from their very beginnings. What I found intriguing is the fact that with every concert U2 has ever done, Bono has tried to connect with the audience. He may have found better ways to make the concerts interactive and better ways to let the audience feel like they are a part of something.
As for the reference to thumbsucking, I believe that he is trying to show some vulnerability. He makes a reference to "No one tells me no". This may go back to his early childhood when he shrugged off authority and was protected in this instance by his mother. He would be asked to do something and later on come to find out, he hadn't done it. But he wasn't punished for forgetting. It was just understood that he didn't want to do it.
I think the dropping of his guitar into the audience was to show the connection he wanted to have with the audience. Going into the crowd couldn't be carried out by him for security reasons, so what other way to show his wanting to be close to them than to drop a musical instrument amongst them?

 

[Alisaura]

A word of warning about Eamon Dunphy's book "Unforgettable Fire" (not unFROGettable likeI nearly typed!)... I read it too, and quite enjoyed it, but it's apparently innacurate in many details, and casts a bad light on other people (like the J. Geils band for example) that they don't deserve... I've been told that the band wasn't very happy with it over all. Apparently the best biography of U2 is "U2 At the End of the World" by... Bill Graham? Something like that... I haven't read it yet myself but again, I've been told it's really good. Alan Carter's books are pretty good, and I loved BP Fallon's "U2- Faraway So Close"...

Dropping a guitar on people seems like an odd way of connecting with them, but I guess he got a bit more close and personal during With or Without You and Velvet Dress...

 

[Acrobat_Al]

which other group can have an album to make a disscusion as good as this!!!!???

im glad to be a U2 fan!